Cases of a Lifetime
by Radical618
Summary: The CSI's have cases that are hard to handle... some shipping... DL, SMACked. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Nothing was adding up. _If everything's connected.. Damn. This shit sure isn't. _He thought to himself as he continued to watch the surveillance tape he had gotten from the store manager. _He's here one minute and gone the next? What the fuck is that? _He thought again. Taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, he heard a knock at the door. He turned around to see Stella.

"Still nothing?"

"Nah. Here one second, gone the next. How does that turn out?"

"Danny, I know you'll get this. Where's Lindsay at?"

"Haven't seen her all day." _Not that I want to. _He thought.

"She's good at this kind of stuff Danny. You should let her have a looksie."

"She probably wont have time. The case she's on with Mac is huge. I saw the case file."

"Danny, that girl will make time for you." She said tapping him on the face.

"Whatever. I'll keep goin' through the tapes."

"Sounds good, I'll go through the evidence and see if anything matches up." She said leaving.

Danny and Lindsay had had a bit of an argument the previous day. _She thinks she knows what I need to do for my best friend. I wonder why I bother with her sometimes. _He thought as he heard yet another knock at the door, and swung around to see her walking towards him.

"Roll the tape." She said.

"Montana, c'mon. I got this."

"Stella said I should check this out real quick. Just roll it."

"Fine." He said rolling the tape. Lindsay studied it, rewound it, and studied it again.

"Where'd you get this from?"

"The guy at the store, why?"

"I think someone edited this tape Danny. I mean, no one can just pop through mid-air like that."

"Is there a way to get that checked out?"

"I have no idea. Do you know someone who would know?"

"I'll ask Stella, maybe she'll know. Hey, Montana thanks."

"Don't mention it." She said looking at her watch. "Shit I said I'd be 10 minutes, gotta get back to trace. See ya later Danny!" She said hurrying out of the room.

_That's why I bother with her. _Danny thought.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sorry I'm late Mac. I got carried away with the tape. So, find anything else yet?" She said grabbing a lab coat and sliding into it.

"Not anything beneficial. This case is going backwards more and more each day."

"Maybe, we're taking the wrong approach." Lindsay stated, reaching for the case folder and skimming through it. "Why don't we go back to the scene and see if we can't find anything else?"

"Before we go, look at this." Mac said moving out of the way so Lindsay could look into the microscope.

"Wasn't there blood on the toothpick we found?" She asked looking up to Mac.

"Yes, there was, but why isn't there any now?" He pulled the toothpick out from under the microscope, only to discover that there was no blood. "Wouldn't one of us have noticed?"

"I'll check my pictures. I remember taking a picture of the toothpick. If there was-."

"If there was we'll deal with that later. You need to find that picture Lindsay."

"I'm on it." She said leaving to go find the evidence.

"Did you, or did you not edit this tap? It's really a simple question Mr. Stone."

"I did not touch dat tape, alright? So back off buddy. I gave you the tape wha' more do you wan'?"

"We want to know if you edited that tape!" Stella said forcefully.

"Lady, do I look like I know how to edit a tape. I worked in that shop fo' two days befo' you guys came and snagged the tape from me."

"Uh, Mr. Stone, that doesn't matter. The murder happened the night of the 7th and we came in early mornin' the 8th. So you were workin' there when this happened."

Stone was fidgeting his hands. "Alrigh'. After the murder the guy in da mask looks at me and says. Gimme, da tape and I wont kill you. I gave him the tape and he came back about 45minutes later and handed the tape back to me and says, call da cops now. Thas' all I know."

"Get this guy outa here." Danny said, aggravated.

"We'll be checking your story." Stella told Stone as he was lead out by an officer. "How long does it take to edit a tape?"

"Let's go find that out." Danny said as Stella led the way out of the interrogation room.

"Mac, pictures don't lie."

"There was blood on this toothpick, and now there's not."

"Mac, I took a few pictures, and bagged the toothpick."

"I know. Someone on the inside must've switched the toothpicks out." _Not again. _Mac thought. _Why do people touch the damn evidence? _"Look for finger prints on the toothpick, see if we can't find out who switched them out, or touched them anyway."

"I'm on it." Lindsay said, heading back towards trace.


	3. Chapter 3

"It all depends on how much you want to edit out of the tape. It's hard to say how much or how little is missing here. It's gonna be impossible to figure that out. I wish I could help you." A tall man with blonde hair told Danny and Stella. Danny studied him for a few seconds.

"Maybe you can. How'd you get that cut on your right palm?"

"I was cookin' dinner the other night and the knife slipped. I'm a clumsy person, I get cuts and knicks all the time." Danny looked at Stella.

"You wouldn't mind if we took a DNA sample, would you?"

"Whoa, you think I killed whoever?"

"All we want to do is clear possibilities sir. If you didn't do anything, it shouldn't be hard to give us a sample."

"Whatever gets my name cleared." He said as Stella swabbed the inside of his cheek.

"Thank you sir." Stella said as they left the building.

_Where the hell is Lindsay with those fingerprints? _Mac thought to himself the next day. _It usually doesn't take her this long to do this stuff. _

"Mac, we were right." Lindsay said coming into Mac's office. "Someone on the inside switched out, or handled these toothpicks."

_Just get on with it Lindsay! _Mac thought, and then responded, "Who was it?" Lindsay handed Mac the paper containing the information. He read over it, and when he saw the name, his eyes widened. "Stella?"

"Science doesn't lie Mac."

"Sometimes, I wish it did." Mac sighed. "Find Stella and tell her to see me ASAP."

"Of course Mac. Anything else I can do?"

_Get together with Danny for Pete's sake. _Mac thought and smiled to himself. "Just that for now. Thanks Lindsay."

"Mac, you know I would never touch anything that was unauthorized!"

"Stella, you're fingerprints were on that toothpick! I have nothing to prove you didn't swap them out!"

"And you have nothing to say I did either Mac."

"When was the last time you used a toothpick anyway?"

"About a week ago, after you and I went out to lunch."

"Right after I got this case."

"How many other people knew about the toothpick after you bagged the evidence?"

"Only Lindsay and I knew. And the police officer who found it." He said eyes lighting up. "Damn what was his name!"

"Don't worry about that now Mac. I'm in here just tell me what I need to do."

"We're gonna have to go by the books. You're on desks until I prove you innocent of swapping the toothpicks."

"What about my case? Danny can't do this one alone."

"I'll put Lindsay with him. And I'll take Hawkes with me."

"Go get him." She said pecking Mac with a kiss.

"Thanks Stella." He said smiling. _Finally. _He thought.

"So you with me now huh, Montana?" _Thank God almighty! _Danny thought.

"Yea, you know the story. Okay, so where are we off too.?"

"Back to the stores owner. Jeremiah Stone. Worthless piece a'crap if you ask me."

_I love him when he's harsh._ Lindsay thought. "Let's go see if we can pull something outta him, alright? What's the vic's name by the way?"

"John Doe."

"Jeez, this case is worse than the other one. At least we knew who the vic was."

"Lucky you." Danny said sarcastically.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mac!" Stella yelled out. "Whoa, have you been drinking?"

"No, I haven't slept, you know how I get. But what is it Stella? Have you found something?"

"The cop. Who was at the scene with you."

_I love this woman. _ Mac thought. "And, his name?"

"Officer Marty Gill." She said showing him a picture.

"Did you tell Sheldon?"

"I'd figure I should've told you first"

"Marty huh? Let's get him into interrogation I--. Lindsay? Why aren't you on your case?"

"Oh, I am. I just thought you should now I picked up a smudged fingerprint on the toothpick as well."

"And?" Stella asked anxiously.

Lindsay held up a picture of no other the Officer Marty Gill. "I see you're way a head of me Stella."

"Well we figured out he was the cop at the scene, but those finger prints just sealed the deal!"

"Unfortunately Stella," Mac started. "You're not off of the hook. We still have to prove him guilty. So show Sheldon what you've found, and take Lindsay's paperwork with you."

_Shit. _Stella thought. "Right, okay I'm off to autopsy." _Not for any good reason though, damn paperwork._

"And I'm back to go with Danny." Lindsay stated.

"The DNA sample that Stella and I took doesn't really help us much, because there's nothing for us to compare it to." Danny said to Lindsay while they were in trace.

"There has to be something. Why did you pick this particular video place?"

"Well Montana, it's the closest one to the shop. If they wanted to get something edited that quickly--. The tape, Montana!"

"What about it?"

"Fingerprints, they're probably all over it. Why the hell didn't I think of that before?." Danny said running over to get the tape from an evidence bag. He dusted it as Lindsay walked over to examine. A few moments later several finger prints showed and he smiled a cocky smile at Lindsay, who smiled in response. "Look what we got here." He said.

"Mac Taylor. How's the case comin' along? Figure anything out yet."

"Interestingly enough Marty, we think you might be messing with us." He told the officer right off the bat, who's facial expression changed immediately.

"How?" He said with a bit of shakiness in his voice. He reached his hand into his pant pocket.

"What's in your pocket Marty?" Mac asked.

Marty had had enough. He used his might to push over the table and run for the door, Mac laying on the ground tripped him and the officer in the room cuffed Marty as Mac reached into his pant pocket. Sure enough, there was a bloody toothpick.

"You son of a bitch. Take this guy outta here." Mac said. Marty was taken down the hall. _Time to call Stella, get her back out in the field._ Mac thought, relieved.


	5. Chapter 5

"I sell tapes. Of course my prints are gonna be on it."

"Do you keep a record of who you sell the tapes to, Mr. Arnold?" Lindsay asked becoming impatient. The guy had been here an hour and had been no help.

"Do I look like the kind of guy who gives a shit about who buys my tapes?"

"You really want the truth Mr. Arnold?" Danny said sarcastically. Arnold gave him a dirty look. "If you have edited any tapes--."

"I don't edit the tapes, I sell them."

"Your video shop edits tapes, no?"

"Yes it does. But I don't know how to edit, I hire some guys to do that for me."

"How many guys do you have editing for you?" Lindsay asked, becoming even more impatient.

"Only about three. They switch out every three hours or so."

"What are your working hours at your store Mr. Arnold?"

"Monday through Friday it's nine to eight, Saturday it's nine to nine, and Sunday it's nine to six."

"So only one guy has a double shift?"

"Yea, he wanted more pay, so I gave him the extra shift."

"Can we have the names of all of the guys who work for you please?"

"I suppose, Toby Allen, Robbie Sanchez, and Tommy Gordon, he works the double shift."

"Thank you Mr. Arnold, we'll be keeping in touch." Danny said as he and Lindsay left the interrogation room."

Danny and Lindsay headed up to the break room for lunch when Stella stopped them in the hallway.

"So did the tape guy help you out any?"

"He gave us names of some guys who work for him who actually do the editing." Lindsay told her.

"You mean he doesn't do the editing?"

"He sells the tapes."

"It's his business right? I mean the store."

"Yea, and he should now how to edit."

"Montana, we can't make that assumption, we don't know that that's true." Danny stated.

"Maybe there's a way to see who edited the tape." Lindsay thought aloud.

"Did you find anymore fingerprints on the tape besides his?" Stella asked.

"Yea, but they weren't in the database."

"Why was Arnold in the database?" Stella asked again.

"Drug bust, that sort of thing." She said handing Stella the information she had gathered on him.

"I say search him for drugs again, if it does come back that he's the murderer, drugs could be a motive." Danny told Lindsay.

_Good point Danny. _Lindsay thought. She nodded in response.

"Lindsay," Stella started "I think you might have something."

"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked confused.

"While you're at the tape store, ask the owner if there's a way to see who edited the tapes."

"Will do. Danny, when do you want to head down to the shop?"

"Tomorrow." Danny said running towards trace.

_What has he found now? _Lindsay thought.

"I took the toothpick down to Jane in DNA. Still no response yet though."

"Where was the toothpick in relation to the vic?" Hawkes asked Mac down in the autopsy room.

"Down by her feet interestingly enough." Mac told him.

"That could explain the tiny holes on the bottom of her feet. There weren't any cuts in her mouth, it only makes sense."

"We could do a comparison. I'll get the toothpick and I will meet you down here."

"Mac," Hawkes started, "the toothpick is in DNA." Hawkes said smiling to himself.

"That's why I hired you Sheldon, to keep me on track." Mac said laughing at himself. He got a page on his cell phone. "That's Jane. Hopefully whatever she has to tell us will be beneficial." Mac said heading out the door.

_Hopefully Jane will be able to help you Stephanie Hubbert._ Sheldon thought. _But right now, lets see those feet. _He thought again putting some gloves on.

"Not about to start the fun without me are you Sheldon?" Sid Hammerback said.

"By all means Sid, grab a glove." Hawkes said invitingly.


	6. Chapter 6

"What have you got for me Jane?" _Please let it be something good._ Mac thought desperately.

"Well it was interesting. The outcome of the sample. On this side of the toothpick, the DNA matched your vic. On the other side of the toothpick, was a DNA of a male."

"Any matches to the DNA, anywhere?"

"Interestingly enough, yes. You remember, Marty Gill no?"

"His blood was on the other side of the toothpick? The son of a bitch!"

"Perhaps that's why he took the toothpick from the crime scene Mac. To hide his evidence. And, they were related. Apparently Mr. Gill had a daughter."

"Looks like it's time for another talk with Mr. Gill." Mac said with a tone of anger in his voice. "Thanks Jane."

"Anytime Mac."

"Every time a worker edits a tape, they must out in a code to the computer, then it times how long they edit for."

"So the only way to edit is to put in certain code." Lindsay asked.

"The code corresponds to the person who edits, so each person has their own specific code."

"So only the three guys who work here could edit a tape?" Danny asked.

"Plus myself, yea."

"But, Mr. Arnold. I thought you didn't know how to edit." Danny asked again. WHAM! Danny took a punch in the face as Mr. Arnold took off running down the street. Lindsay took off after him, while Danny called for back up. Danny felt a trickle of blood rolling down his forehead as he ran after Lindsay. _Why the fuck does this always happen to me! _"MONTANA WATCH OUT!" Danny yelled at the top of his lungs.

"You are saying this girl died of heart failure?" Mac questioned Hawkes.

"In a way. Let me show you." Hawkes said as he walked over to Stephanie. She was laying there, her chest cut open, her heart sitting on the table next to her. "Her right ventricle was cut, which caused a major loss of blood."

"So a loss of blood, not heart failure?" Mac said. _Just give it to me straight Sheldon. _Mac thought impatiently.

"Well, she was getting towards heart failure."

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"Maybe, Stephanie told Gill to kill her, maybe she knew she was dying." Stella said to Mac.

"The only way to find out is to talk to Gill."

"We don't even have a murder weapon Mac. And Hawkes didn't find any wounds that show she was stabbed or that her ventricle was cut!"

"I'm aware of the situation Stella! I don't need--." His phone was ringing. "It's Danny, hold on. Danny, everything alright?"


	7. Chapter 7

"What the hell is wrong with you, you son-of-a-bitch! Who the hell runs out in the middle of traffic like that?" Danny said as he cuffed Arnold. "Thanks to you we got a detective down! Look at her!" He said pointing to Lindsay, who was being carried into an ambulance on a stretcher.

"We've got him from here Danny." One of the officers told him. Danny saw Mac pulling up in his car. _Shit. _Danny thought. _How the fuck am I supposed to explain this. _

"Have you heard anything form Mac yet?" Hawkes asked Stella as they were driving to the crime scene.

"Unfortunately not. All he said was they were at the hospital, he didn't say anything about Lindsay's condition." Stella told Hawkes. _First flack now Lindsay! _Stella thought. _What is this?_

"Here we are Stella." Hawkes said parking the car. "Nice place for a murder."

"Not until you see the inside." Stella said ducking under the police tape.

The inside of the house was turned inside out. Pictures were on the floor, blood was smeared on the floor and on the walls.

"Hawkes, I thought you said there wasn't an entry to her ventricle. How could this much blood be everywhere? If just her feet were punctureded--."

"I saved the best for you. There was a deep cut in her back."

"Why didn't Mac and Lindsay catch that?"

"There was no hole in her clothes."

"We need to find that murder weapon. That's the ticket right there. What kind of weapon could make the cut she had on her back?"

"I'd say a knife. The cut was about this length." He motioned about a foot with his hands. "And extremely deep, considering it cut the ventricle."

"How do we know for sure it cut the ventricle?"

"I sent samples of her blood from both areas to trace, hoping they could find something in her blood that would lead us at least to what the weapon might be."

"And?" Stella asked hopefully.

"Adam found wheat in both samples."

"Wheat? As in bread? Wouldn't it be in all of her blood? "

"Exactly as in bread. And no, I took samples from other places—such as her feet—and wheat wasn't present." Hawkes said heading towards the kitchen.

"Interestingly Miss Monroe did not suffer from any broken bones." A doctor told Mac and Danny in a nasally voice . "She is however suffering from a concussion which could throw her off for a few days. I recommend she stay here for a few nights just to be safe."

_Why is my team getting hurt like this! _Mac thought to himself. "Whatever will help her most doctor. Thank you." Mac said heading out of the room.

Danny stayed back for an extra minute. "I shoulda known Montana. I knew that guy was trouble since the first time we saw that bastard. I shoulda taken him out then and there. Know look at ya. You have a concussion cause I didn't get the guy fast enough. Thank God it's only that." He said taking off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes.

"Danny wait here with Lindsay, I'll head back for the interrogation." Mac said giving orders to Danny. _Maybe you'll finally see what everyone else does. _Mac thought to himself.

"Yes sir." Danny said sitting down in the room. Mac proceeded out the door and into the elevator.

"I think I've got it." Stella said smiling. "There's blood on the handle. Right where someone could've missed it."

"I'll bag it." Hawkes said. "Man we're a good team!" He said as Stella's phone rang.

"It's Mac" she said. "Mac, how's Lindsay?"


	8. Chapter 8

The team was there when Lindsay awoke, groggy and in pain. Although she hadn't suffered any broken bones she was sore, every slight movement felt like a billion pins poking into her.

No one said anything for a few minutes, unsure if Lindsay was really aware of what was actually going on. She used her eyes, looking around, trying to decipher who was who and who was where. _Mac, Stella, Hawkes. _She paused not wanting to turn her head to look for him. _He had to be there_. She thought.

"You had us scared there for a while Lindsay." Stella said tapping Lindsay lightly on the shoulder. Lindsay smiled in response, she could form words in her head, but she couldn't say them, it would hurt her too much to move her mouth.

"Are you okay Lindsay?" Mac asked, he was worried perhaps she had forgotten how to speak. She knew she had to do something to let them know she wasn't being incoherent.

"Yea, I'm fine." She said very slowly and quietly. She looking at Hawkes, we was straight ahead of her, he was easiest to look at. Danny was leaned up against the window looking out of it. He couldn't bear to see her this way. He constantly was claming himself for this. He constantly was feeling himself wanting to seek revenge on that bastard who had made her get hurt.

Stella constantly kept glancing over at Danny, wondering when he would say something. Lindsay noticed the glancing, and realized Danny must've been over there. She couldn't move her head though, he wanted to see him so badly! She saw the door open, the doctor motion for Mac. Mac looked to Stella and walked out with the doctor. Stella and Hawkes followed, both claiming they needed to use the restroom. Danny and Lindsay were left alone in the hospital room together, and this time, Lindsay was conscious.


	9. Chapter 9

_Isn't he going to say something to me? I want him to want to. Say something Danny. _Lindsay thought impatiently.

"Montana," Danny said still looking out the window, "I feel responsible for this, you, your condition." _Shit. This is coming out all wrong. _"I just want you to know that. You don't have to say anything, I don't really want you to. I can't even bare to look at you Montana. I feel so ashamed." He said this still looking out the window, the skyline looking a little less beautiful today. She had to muster up something, despite the pain.

"Danny, it isn't your fault." She muttered through the excruciating pain with each syllable. "How could you have-?"

"It's not that Montana. It's the stress of it all. I was there; it should be me in that bed right now, not you."

"No, Danny." She said quietly. The door opened and Mac walked in. Danny who was now facing Lindsay, turned back around and tried not to let his emotions take over. _This is perfect, now I've got Louie, Flack, and Montana in horrible condition. _He turned and walked out the door, not saying another word.

Mac whispered something to Stella and headed out the door to find Danny. _Looks like it's time to play mom. _Stella thought to herself. Lindsay had her eyes closed, desperately not wanting to cry, but the pain she was going through and all o the emotions flooding through her were too much. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek, she knew Stella was watching, she could feel her stare piercing into her.

"Lindsay," Stella started, not really sure what to say. "What's the matter?"

"Everything," Lindsay said, the pain of talking becoming less and less, but it still hurt like hell. "Every muscle I move makes my body ache, every time I hear Danny's name I can't think. And when I hear his voice tell me this was his fault? I want to tell him everything." She said holding the rest of her tears back.

"Everything what?" Stella asked, trying not to pry too much into Lindsay at this point.

"That's just it Stella, I don't know. What is the feeling between us? I've never felt like this before. There have been other guys before, but none like him."

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Hawkes had returned to the lab, he couldn't take it anymore, seeing his team mates falling like flies. He got a sample of the blood on the knife he and Stella had collected, and ran it down to DNA. He then dusted the knife for fingerprints, hoping to find a match- nothing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Danny walking into the break room. He left the computer to search again for hopefully a match on a broader search, and headed for the break room.

"Danny, you alright?" He asked, hoping Danny would be truthful.

"I think that I did something stupid Hawkes." Danny said looking at his shoes.

"Something stupid?" Hawkes asked curiously.

"I think I fell for her, and I don't think I'll ever want to stop falling."


	10. Chapter 10

Stella was sitting outside of Lindsay's room waiting for Mac; Lindsay had fallen asleep quickly after Stella and she had talked. To Stella's surprise Hawkes planted himself next to her.

"Danny is way in over his head for Lindsay." Hawkes said quietly.

"Lindsay is just about the same. She's not sure about it though. I think she feels that it would be wrong of her." _Which is completely idiotic,_ Stella told herself.

"I would really appreciate it if you two would stop." Danny said leaned up against a different window. "We should probably get back to the lab anyway, don't know why Hawkes and I even came back. Stella, you know enough about my case to stay with me, Mac will want to be getting back there anyway." Danny said facing them, trying to act as if everything was okay. "Where is Mac anyway?"

"The doctor said to come back later tonight. Lindsay will probably be more coherent." Mac told his team looking at his watch. _9:00, waiting till 8:00 will seem like an eternity._ "It seems Danny's already given out orders, so that'll work." And with that they went their separate ways counting down the seconds till later that evening.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Stephanie Hubbert. Looks like the blood on your murder weapon matched the blood on the toothpick and the blood of your vic." Jane told Hawkes.

"That's what I would've thought. I wish I could find some fingerprints that matched up in the data base. I even tried a broader search, and still, nothing."

"Where is the other toothpick, the one that Gill took from the crime scene?" Jane asked, hoping to give Hawkes any type of an idea.

"Well it was Gill's blood on the toothpick, so I suppose he is our only suspect for now."

"Work with what you've got the Sheldon, you'll get it."

"Thanks Jane. Well I should be getting back to trace. Thanks again." Hawkes said leaving DNA.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Let me handle the interrogation Danny. You can be in there, but I'm going to need you to control yourself, okay?"

_What does she think I'm gonna do kill this guy? _Danny thought. "Yea, you got it Stella." He told her as they entered the cold, dark, and small room.

"All that I got to say is I edit that god damn tape, alright? I didn't do none of the killin." Arnold told them.

"Still, chances are you knew the guy who did commit the murder." Stella pressed.

"Yea, maybe I did, so what, I didn't do nothing wrong. He paid me cash to fix that tape, I did it, and then Robbie left."

Danny ran out of the interrogation room, the picture of his John Doe in his hand. He had his guy, now he just had to find him. It was a Wednesday, one of his guys had to be there, and this is where the fun began.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Danny what's up?" Mac asked as he talked to Danny on the phone.

"I need some back-up, I know our guy, just not where he is."

"Don's on his way."

"Flack?"

"Yes, he was released late last night, didn't you remember he was getting off?" Mac told him

"Right, right." Danny said trying to remember. _Sweet deal, I got Flack back. This one's for you Montana._

He waited till Flack arrived at the shop. They headed towards the shop, both acting as regular customers of course. "You ready?" Flack asked.

"I'm always ready for this, best part of my day." Danny said with a devilish grin.


	11. Chapter 11

"You comin' Danny?" Flack asked coming through the break room door. "You know she'll want to be seein' you." Danny smiled at Flack and got up slowly. "Listen, don't put this on your shoulders, alright? She wouldn't want you to feel that way. She knows it wasn't your fault, and we've got both of those bastards locked away, don't tear yourself up over this."

"I know, I know. I just never really felt this way about anyone before-."

"Well, good, but don't tell me, tell her, okay?" Flack said pushing Danny out of the door.

-----------------------------------------------

"It's about time you two showed up." Stella told them. "Mac and Hawkes are already in there." She said pointing. Danny saw Lindsay through the window, she was leaned up now, able to move and looked okay. Hawkes must've said something amusing because Mac and Lindsay were both laughing. Stella led them into the room.

"Sorry that we're a bit late, this two just couldn't escape from the lab." She said smiling.

"We weren't even in the lab, more of the break room. Taking a break." Flack said. _Man I'm suck an idiot. _

"Nice one Flack, way to point out the obvious." Danny said laughing. "It's good to see you looking better Montana." He said, actually looking at her this time.

"Thanks Danny, glad to see you're doing better too." She said smiling.

------------------------------------------------------------

"We only have Gill as our suspect Mac. We have other fingerprints; we just can't get a person to match them with." Hawkes told Mac the next afternoon.

"I say we interrogate Marty again. He's got to know something if he took that toothpick, and for all we know, he could've committed the murder. Take Stella back to Stephanie's house, I'll have Flack help me with Marty."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"So you got the guy?"

"Guys."

"Guys?"

"Yea, Arnold, who edited the tape, and Sanchez, who basically ratted himself out as soon as we entered the store. It was pretty pathetic."

"I'm sure he was intimidated."

"By who me? Well of course who wouldn't be?"

"Not by you, by Flack! The guy's like 10 feet tall!"

"Thanks a lot Montana." They said entering the small bar that night. "Where'd you find this place?"

"On the way to a crime scene once. It looked nice, figured I'd save it for a nice outing."

"Well, glad I'm that outing."

"Me too."

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"Don't be stupid, Marty, I know the way people work. People lie. A lot. Especially when they do something stupid. So fess up buddy, now."

"Don, I am telling you I did not kill my daughter! I don't know who did."

"Then why would you take that toothpick from the scene then? Better yet, why would your blood be all over it!"

"I was there alright! When she was killed I was there. I was in the room! But she told him to do it, she told that guy to kill her. So what else could I do but fight back. So I did the only thing I had at reach was that damn toothpick, but the guy saw me and poked me in the wrist!" He said showing a small puncture wound. "Then he took it and shoved it into her feet, then undressed her and killed her, just as she told him to. I grabbed the toothpick and ran off."

"How was the guy Marty? Tell us and your ass will be saved!"

"My brother."

----------------------------------------------------------------

_Thank God. These cases are finally done and over with, these were the weirdest cases I've had in a long time. _Mac thought to himself. He heard a knock at the door.

"Mac, thanks for being there while I was in the hospital, I want to apologize for making you be there."

"Lindsay it's all in the job description. And besides," _Let's give him some credit, _"It was Danny who made all the calls, you should be thanking him. I am very happy to see that you are okay now though."

"Thanks, and don't worry, I've already thanked Danny." She said leaving Mac's office.

_I bet you have. _Mac thought to himself.

-- End.


End file.
